Homecoming."
by Naebler
Summary: When the group heads home.


"Homecoming"

Hello welcome to a new story written by me for you.

Enjoy, my rendition of what happens when they all return.

I wish to thank **_[ROSE][1] LEA_**for writing "_they come home_ " giving me Inspiration to write my view of what would happen if they came home. I recommend you read the story.

Until next time this is Naebler saying; 

"You can buy the meaning of life at Wal*mart for six bucks."

"Homecoming"

By: Naebler

Standing before the opening gateway, Perrin still feels the sorrow of loosing Faile, even though it has been more then a year since she was lost. To his right rides Gaul, in his Aiel garb, and wearing a sword at his side. It had been more then a year since Gaul gave up being Aiel, and the Aiel gave up on him. He had been ostracized and had come to join Perrin's group permanently. Surprisingly, much like Aram, who had become close friends with Gaul, Gaul had learned the sword rather fast, and had become proficient, almost overnight. Aram rides to Perrin's left, in his faded and worn Tinker's garb and Elyas rides behind them. Rand rides his Black stallion in front along with Logain, and the Dragon Knight Cyris. Egwene, Nynavae, Elyane, Min and Avhendhia ride set off from the rest of the party. Occasionally the woman would look towards him and then turn away when he looks back. It is not like he doesn't know, it is his first time home since Faile was killed.

Behind the group of women, rides Mat with Tuon and Oliver, Lan, Birgette and Gawyn. Behind them are the two rivers men and many more, Ash'aman and Aes Sedi, Including, Siuan and Lean.

The Rand his party rode through the gateway first followed by the women, the warders then Perrin, his two fallen friends and Elyas. The bond in Perrin's head tells him that Anoura is staying behind in Camelyn. 

As Stepper, Perrin's horse steps through the gateway, Perrin can feel the rode change, from hard backed dirt, to the grassy fields of the Two Rivers. Rand had decided to open the gateway a day's ride from Emond's field, so no one was hurt. This homecoming will be painful for all, so they all decided no one else should be hurt. The city came into view for Perrin as soon as he stepped through, even though it wouldn't come into view for anyone else, until about an hour or so from now, as they rode. Instinctively, Perrin reached out for wolves and was surprised to discover that in his time away a large number had moved in. They relayed their sorrow as best they good for the loss of his she, when he gave his name. It seemed that word had been spread, to any wolf that would listen. Thanking them, he tuned them out and focused his eyes on the rode ahead.

"Perrin." Came Rand's commanding tone from the front. "Wouldn't it be better if they saw you first, since none of us have been home in about five years?" Nodding, Perrin sped up Stepper to the front to ride with Rand. At about half a days journey Rand left the army of non-two river's men, the Legion of the Dragon, they were called. In their dark blue coats which button on the side so that it would not break the picture of a dragon on the front. The Aes Sedi and the hundred or so Ash'aman in their black coats stayed behind along with the legion. Bringing only Logain and Cyris with him for "Black coats".

At about dusk the party had reached the gates of Edmond's field. When the watchers saw Perrin in the front a cheer went up and the gates opened to let in the party, for their homecoming. Once in the city, Perrin turned and told the Two River's men to go home and be with loved ones. At his word the hundred or so two river's men left of his original army, dispersed to their homes leaving only Perrin and his friends, Mat, Rand, Egwene and Nynavae with their close friends.

"Rand, I think we should head to the manor. And from there we will call for Tam and the others, it would be faster then trying to find them now."

"Agreed." Came Rand's reply.

Turning to Gaul and Aram Perrin says, "Go find Tam and the others of the council, bring them to the manor." At his finishing, the two men ride in separate directions to follow Perrin's command. 

"Perrin, I'll go find our big friend." Elyas says and rides off towards the "Library". The rest of the party rides to the manor of Lord Perrin the Golden Eyes.

Sitting in his padded chair in front of the cold hearth, Perrin puts his axe beside him on the floor and puts his feet up on the nearby stool. Leaning his head back he stares up at the wooden beams, it was hard to believe that a building of this size used to amaze him, now it is almost common. No, never common Faile built this house and for that it will never be common. After setting himself down, Perrin looks around to see his friends taking seats randomly around the room. Rand is the only one standing besides the Ash'aman who stand guard on either side of the door. Rand leans on the hearth looks into the fireplace. "Perrin, I never really said, I mean…I don't know how to say this…the shadow consume me…Perrin I…"

"I know Rand, and thanks."

"No, Perrin I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, to help you. I could have saved her…"

"Rand stop."

"But…"

"Rand, leave over." As Rand was about to open his mouth, a group of men and three women enter the room. In the lead was Tam al'Thor and Abel Cauthon, each with a bow strapped to their back, a sword at their hip and a set of ragged clothes on their back; it was obvious they were on patrol. Following behind was Mayor al'Myera; Egwene's father, her mother, the Luhans, the wisdom Daisy Conger, Gaul, Aram, Elyas and finally Loial at the very back ducking to fit in the door. At the sight of Egwene the al'Myera's ran forward to embrace their daughter.

"Oh Egwene, we have worried so much over you." Mistress al'Myera says. Hugging her daughter tighter. "It has been so long."

"Yes, daughter it has, come to the inn and we'll talk some more okay?" Egwene's father asks. Looking to Perrin and the others for a second, she bites her lip and nods her head.

"Mother, father, there is something I have to tell you. Gawyn, could you come too?" with that Egwene leaves the room followed by her warder, her lover, and her savior. The crown prince of Andor.

As soon as Egwene and her family were out the door and on their way to the Winespring inn, it was if some kind of damn broke as the Cauthon's rushed to Mat. The Luhans to Perrin, Loial to Min, Elayne and Avhendhia. And finally Tam to Rand. After all the families were back together everyone seemed to drift off. Mat and family to the Cauthon's house in Edmond's Field, Loial and Rand's bond holders to the Library, Nynavae Lan and Daisy to Daisy's house and Tam, Rand and the two Ash'aman into the woods somewhere, leaving Perrin alone with the Luhans, the closest thing to family he had left.

"Perrin, why are you so quiet, we haven't heard from you in over two years except for short messages sent to us by those black coated men. What is going on, you show up unannounced with the Edmond's fielders in tow. Where is the Lady Faile and…"

"Faile is dead." Coldly and curtly the response comes from Perrin's mouth.

"By the creator, what happ…"

"Not now please, we can talk later but right now I need someone to take names to put on the monument of the fallen. Could you find someone for me?"

"I'll do it my poor, poor boy." Said the quivering voice of Mistress Luhan, a woman never given to tears. "I'll do it."

"Well I guess we should start with, Faile "Zarine" Bashere T'Aybara…"

"You are the what?" came the response from her mother.

"I am the Marilyn Seat, of the Aes Sedi. I am the Leader of the Aes Sedi and this man is my Fiancé, Warder and Crowned Prince of Andor." Sitting straight and staring into her mother's eyes, she sees the sudden change appear before her, from startled to calm.

"So you are her Fiancé?" asked her mother turning her attention from Egwene to Gawyn. Sitting up in his seat, Gawyn folds his hands and dashes a quick look to Egwene, she knew the look to well, even without the bond she would know the look. _We need to talk._

"Yes ma'am, I asked Egwene, and she accepted, we are betrothed. We were waiting to marry for when we had both of our families together."

Without taking her gaze from Gawyn, Mistress al'Myera picks up her mug of cider and takes a sip. "I would like to talk to my daughter alone if you don't mind. Husband, would you take Gawyn for a walk." The absence of a question was obvious, this was one time no one would dare disobey. As the two men close the door behind them, Mistress al'Myera's face brightened and a large grin spread across her face. "This is wonderful so wonderful. Honey I am so proud of you, now you must tell me everything you can from your journeys, I am curious to what you have been up too."

A weight lifted from Egwene's chest, she could feel a tiny bit of fear agitation and humor through the bond to Gawyn. She wondered what he felt through his side. "I guess I should start from when we first left during winter's night all those years ago…"

Walking side by side down the road to the town stables, Mat feels a little out of place. The last time he had seen his father, he was no more then an immature child, and looking back he notices to his own amusement that he had actually matured some since then. 

"What ya grinin' at boy?" Abel's voice.

"Nothing father, nothing, just remembering the time Rand Perrin and I let the raccoon loose in Nynavae's kitchen, the day before my sixteenth birthday."

"I remember, she gave you such a birching, ho I remember you couldn't sit for a week." They both broke out in laughter, the people passing them on the street looked at them a little awkwardly, that only made them laugh harder. "That's funny."

"What is son?"

"With all the holes in my memory, I can rarely ever remember things from my childhood, or the rest of my life for that matter."

"Holes? What are you talking about?"

"Well I guess we should catch each other up on what is going on." There is a slight pause then, "I guess it all started all those years ago on winter's night…"

The soft sound of their boots on gravel is the only sound in the night, except for the distant sound of laughter. 

"Rand…son, is there anyway we can be alone? I think we need to talk." Nodding Rand motions for Logain and Cyris to go back to the manor and wait.

"Tam, I…"

"So you know. I wanted to tell you but I just didn't know how. I loved you; I love you too much, to ever hurt you. I just felt I was helping you by not telling…"

"It's alright. I know who I am, Tam I don't know how to tell you. I'm not really Rand any more, but I am. You see I found out, I…I am the Dragon Reborn." At this the two men stopped and Tam turns his head to stare up at Rand's face.

"I think we need a drink, lets go to the tavern and talk. And when there we can catch up what has been going on." The rest of the walk to the Tavern was silent and again the only sound was that of their boots on the gravel of the worn down road.

It's always hard, and Perrin knows it always will be. Going to the house of the family of every fallen soldier, to offer his condolences and his apologies, but now it is even harder. Because he realized he didn't want to do this. He just wanted to lay down and die. His light was gone. And for now on he will live in darkness.

Each house makes it harder, so many dead, so many, hurt for the dead. He knew how they felt, they blamed him, if he never came back their children would still be alive, under the thumbs of the white cloaks, but still alive, tending field. Perrin's path took him past the tree where his family was buried beside. Stopping, he sits down on one of large roots that sits above ground, and leans back against the tree, closes his eyes and tries to sleep.

Fain finds it hard not to laugh, the best way to rid your self of a rat is to use another rat. Or in other words, to kill a Ta'vern use another Ta'vern. Pulling out his blowgun, he puts in a dart covered in a concoction; he created himself, with the help of a mage or two. Aims it at the largest of the three, the wolf one, the Aybara. Brings in a deep breath and blows. The dart hits home on the back of the big one's neck. Aybara sits up and looks around. Feeling the blood on his neck, he just leans back and closes his eyes for a second time.

Finding it harder still to keep from laughing out loud. Fain touches the gem on the Ter'angle he found in the White Tower, and a vertical slash opens creating a doorway to a hidden place, which only Fain knows. Oh his quarry will soon be his, and all thanks to his quarries friend. At this he did laugh, walking through the doorway he pushes the gem a second time, and the doorway shuts, cutting off his laughter to those of Emonds field.

_Strange, _Perrin thinks _I swear I heard some one laughing._ Feeling the bug bite on his neck, Perrin wonders what kind of bug it was, to have hurt so much. Standing up, Perrin feels a little woozy and grabs at the tree. It takes a minute for him to get his bearings back. _I better head back to town_, his thoughts tell him. And getting up, he walks towards town.

A few minutes pass and Perrin feels the bug bite, throb and start to spread to his neck and hi body. He seemed to be getting very hot, unlacing his shirt; Perrin stumbles back to the manor only to meet Mistress Luhan. "Miss Luhan I don't feel so wel…" before he can finish, Perrin collapses into Alsbet Luhan's Hands.

"Help some one get one of the Aes Sedi! The lord is sick! Perrin you'll be fine as soon as…Perrin. Perrin? Perrin!" That is all he heard before he blacked out.

"Anyone know what happened?" Rand asks in an Agitated voice. He had lost to many friends and allies in this battle against the Dark one. He was the one supposed to die, and yet everywhere he turns his friends fall. Why damn it why? 

"It seems that something hit him in the neck." Nynavae says this as she points to a bright red bump on the back of Perrin's neck. "I gave him antidotes and used the one power. He should be okay in an hour or so. But he needs to rest, from what I hear he hasn't done much since, Faile…"

" I'll make sure he does." Rand says with a slight grin. Being home has been good, even with what happened, it seems like it was just a bug bite, Rand was thankful for that, he can't remember when the last time something normal happened to the Emonds fielders. 

Perrin's eyes opened slowly, looking around the room, surrounding him was his friends, and of course the one responsible for Faile's death, the one responsible, for Perrin's mother and father and the rest of his family. Reaching beside his bed, Perrin feels the solid wood handle of his axe. Grasping it firmly, he looks at al'Thor, the Dragon bloody Reborn. A fever seemed to be building in Perrin's body, with only one possible release, the death of al'Thor. Throwing back the blankets, Perrin jumps up, to everyone's surprise. Running forward, with axe in hand, Perrin jumps at Rand bringing his axe down towards Rand's head. All the while screaming. "Die you murdering bastard!"

**_Come back next month for the next chapter in Homecoming. _**

   [1]: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=114359



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